faderift | and when the broken-hearted people living in the world agree [open]

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and when the broken-hearted people living in the world agree [open]

WHO: Mia Rutherford & YOU
WHAT: Pre-Orlais Catch-All for July
WHEN: Beginning of the month up to Orlais shenanigans.
WHERE: Skyhold
NOTES: n/a

For not being caught up in much of actual events of the keep, it certainly is exhausting keeping up with everything.

That might be life with Zevran and the baby talking, however. As many people seem happy to pitch in with helping Zevran with his son, Mia still quietly thinks the best hands are her own. And his father's, of course, but the poor dear seems to be at his wit's end on most days. He's trying to do well for the boy, though she'd expect no less from him. Still. Sharing a room with him means watching the toll it takes and, when she is available to, helping take the baby off his hands so he might get some Maker-blessed sleep.

Of course, she can't spend the entire day with the baby, much as she'd like to. She still has duties to attend to around the keep, and the recent activity with assassins and spirits being purged from abominations doesn't mean that the refugees are any less eager to get the things they need. Luckily, construction for the new appointments for them seem to be going well. Katniss has managed a wonderful job in that regard, and Mia's more than happy to lend a hand, even if it's as simple a thing as making sure the workers are eating, too.

That doesn't leave much spare time, but she does what she can. She makes herself available now and then in the gardens, and now more than ever she's been taking the time to drop in on her brother, if only to briefly chat and see that things are well before letting him carry on.

They've all got their fair share to do around here. And keeping busy...well, it keeps a lot of things off your mind, that way.

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"Hello there." It's a friendly enough greeting as Anders comes into the gardens with quill and pen. They've got people who can do this, take note of what's growing and about when they can expect more of the garden herbs to be ready, but he likes it. The herbs don't ever mutter about him, and he doesn't have to worry about them flinching.

"Escaping from the little one for a little peace and quiet?" ...Until he went and opened his mouth and ruined the quiet, if that's why she's here. It's a good thing he's never tried claiming he's a genius.

"Ah. Anders."

It's a civil if somewhat distant greeting. She hasn't quite forgiven him, on a number of scores, but there's no reason to antagonize the man. They're adults, and capable of behaving as such, are they not?

His observation earns a faint nod, a little gesture at the lush growth around them. "It's not quite the lone blossom on a mountainside but...it is rather peaceful. But I take it you're here on business."

Here her eyes fall quite pointedly on the quill and pen in his hand, before lifting to him with an arched brow.

He'll take it. Civil is quite all right in his books. Anders will also take a seat nearby, on one of the benches.

"More or less. I've a break, and recording what we can expect soon and what we can't needs doing." Breaks happen to other people. Even without Justice he knows there's always more work to be done, and that he'll never quite do enough. "It's far easier to recall if I've seen it, too. Notes are one thing, reading that... Mm, that the elfroot should be ready for another harvest in about a week isn't quite as easy to remember as the sight of them."

There's a pause as he makes a note of the elfroot anyway. "How is Lucci on toys?"

Well that's an abrupt change of subject. She starts for a moment, but then her expression turns warmer. Softer. "That depends on what you might consider a toy. I'm fairly certain anything that isn't latched or bolted down he might consider as such, and even then he might make the effort regardless," she replies with a faint smile tugging at her lips.

"He's grown very fixated on what things do, what they feel or taste like. Which, as you can imagine, proves a little problematic if one isn't careful."

Plants are plants. He can only say so much on them before it becomes a conversation about how to try using them in different potions which would probably bore most people. Mia gets a very small smile as Anders records the state of another plant, listening to her.

"Babies and things in the mouth. You've no idea how many panicked parents I've seen after their little one has swallowed something ridiculous. All it takes is a split second, too. Button, a copper, a rock, anything is fair game if it's in reach, and anything can be in reach in moments." A beat. "Though I was in part asking because I'm traveling to Dairsmuid before long here, and if I bring him back another toy cow I think Zevran might kill me."

"Provided he has the energy. Should he feel lacking, I might kill you in his stead."

Though a wry smirk says that he needn't worry, she is just teasing. In this particular instance.

"I'd wondered where they all came from. Why cows? I have to know," she continues after a moment, shifting slightly on the bench to regard him more directly. It's not the sort of thing that immediately comes to mind for...well, any discernible reasons, really.

The smirk gets his smile to grow a little, though he finishes writing another note before looking up to answer.

"I'm... I was a farmboy, before we discovered I had magic. My family had cows. When I headed to the Anderfels with the Wardens recently, I told Zevran I'd bring Lucci back one so he knew more about my homeland. Zevran said I would die, because an infant does not need a cow."

The smile grows more. "So I found a way to keep my word and not die. And please Lucci as well, a definite bonus. Granted, I'm fairly certain anything he can gnaw on and not have it get taken away please Lucci at this stage."

"Or pull on. Or smear all over the nearest wall or himself. He really is creative when it comes to entertaining himself. But then, most children are."

What a handful he's been. But as much as Zevran seems to fret, it's been a good change. She'd like to think so, at least. The child is certainly getting as much attention as a charming babe like him could ask for.

"...is that where your name comes from, then?"

"They are," he agrees, though the smile fades a little at the question. "It's not my name, but yes, that's why I'm called Anders."

He shrugs and touches one of the plants, getting a little more of a sense of it with creation magic.

"Farmboys who live far up North don't need to know common. If they ever asked me my name when they took me away and hauled me to Ferelden, I didn't understand. I learned to answer to Anders." It wasn't a gentle lesson. None of it had been. "And I learned common fairly quickly." He had... incentive.

Edited 2016-07-20 22:26 (UTC)

"Where did Detlef come from, then? Someone you knew?"

She doesn't pretend to be coy about this sort of thing, it's not her way. Frankness has always seemed to work out best for her, and more simply for all involved. So when curiosity strikes, she asks. If she's rebuffed, that's the end of it.

But, certain significant details aside, he's been quite forthright about everything else thus far.

He prefers frankness as well, though he shakes his head at the question.

"I may have. I don't know. My memories before the Circle are... fragmented. The name felt familiar, but I also knew it was a common Ander name. I thought it might pass without comment for a time. I hadn't quite accounted for no one else knowing it was common."

The amount of people who had commented on it... He really should have just gone with a Fereldan name, but the past is the past, and Detlef had sufficed.

"What's Mia from?"

Well, fair's fair, isn't it? She'd asked him first, and she relents without protest.

"Not named for anyone in particular, that I can think of. One of those names that seems to change every time it moves to a different culture, as I understand it. I think it used to mean a number of things back when it was a name our ancestors would use, everything from 'willful child' to 'beloved'."

A light chuckle makes its way out of her as she shakes her head. "You might need to ask someone a bit more educated than I am."

"I'll get right on asking the Inquisition's name historian." They don't have one, but that's fine. It's not like name origins are actually important.

"But for now, we could go with 'beloved willful child' with the addendum that I'm not flirting when I say it because I value my ability to still draw breath." Not like Mia had been interested in his flirting to begin with. "Then again, I'd hesitate to name anyone willful. It might become a self-fulfilling prophecy and I'd only have myself to blame. Lucci, and Zevran by extension, are theoretically one step ahead already there."

"Are you suggesting I might do you harm if you considered flirting with me?"

The prospect is amusing. She hadn't realized she was quite that intimidating. Not quite to that degree. And there's definitely amusement to be had in the thought of Anders fearing her. Even if he is only teasing.

"That said, I wouldn't fear a willful child. The world needs more of them, I think. Ours isn't a world that many soft-hearted people can endure. If Lucci proves half as tenacious as his father, I'd say he has a good chance."

His smile returns in full now.

"No. You'd raise an eyebrow and I'd shut up. Zevran would be right behind me and he might have an objection. I'm fond of him, but I'm not tempted to test how protective he may be. And Lucci will flourish, I've no doubt." With all the people he has supporting him, how could he not?

"But the world could use more with softer hearts, I believe. Not weak willed, but able to open their eyes and see. To empathize. To seek... better solutions." Those who can compromise far better than he can. Who can help alongside the caring, who don't hurt others along the way.

Oh, Anders gets laughter outright at the imagery of Zevran lurking somewhere in the shadows to defend her honor. It's charming, as images go, she'll give him that. Highly unlikely, but charming all the same.

One hand flutters dismissively. "No, you're right of course. And that isn't to say Lucci isn't a dear heart for all his determination to get into trouble. He's already perfected his father's most entreating looks when he's been denied something he wants."

The laughter fades from her expression by degrees, a strain of something solemn replacing it. "Hopefully the world we leave for him will have such people in it in abundance. Meanwhile, all we can do is our best for him."

He's made her laugh. It feels rather good.

"Children learn first what is both absolutely adorable and will work in their favor. And then they use it. Constantly." There's still a little amusement to his voice, even if it's faded some as he continues.

"Speaking of doing our best, I've been on call for Zevran with Lucci. If you need a healer for Lucci, I'm glad to help." He likes infants and children, sometimes wonders what it would be like to take care of one of his own, and knows it's not likely to ever happen. And that's probably for the best. "Not just because he's cute, too."

"No, of course not. He hasn't charmed you a bit, has he?"

Not a prospect she finds easy to believe. The little one has stolen just about everyone's heart. He must take after his father in that regard, she thinks. Mia's brow creases gently as she turns back to him.

"Well I hope we have no need of that offer in the future. Still. I am glad for it. Your skills are remarkable, from what I've heard."

"He's precious. Most of the time I work with children I only see them when they're not feeling well, or they're wrapped around my ankles while I treat a parent." Or older sibling. Darktown had been rough. Getting to know Lucci is a treat.

"And thank you." That's a very high compliment, in his books. "I hope he doesn't need it either, but I do find that children who have a few illnesses as they're young tend to do be in better health around 8, 10, than those who are very rarely ill or are ill constantly. So if I'm needed a few times, it's not a bad thing."

He can hope that's a comfort.

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